ShareBullets: 15 Sounds Like A Good Number

The Wizards are going to start the season with a roster of 15 that includes Cartier Martin, Lester Hudson and Hamady N’diaye. On a developing team, this was the exact, right thing to do. Anything less would have been uncivilized. And if it happens where the Wizards need an extra roster spot to complete an unbalanced trade, I’m sure something can be figured out when and if the team reaches that juncture.
[Wizards Insider]

So Gilbert Arenas shaved his beard. For the record, I think Beards > Long pointy sideburns.
[Gilbertology]

Michael Lee has another good player profile, this time on Kevin Seraphin, which includes a funny quote from someone familiar with the French speaker, Rodrigue Beaubois of the Dallas Mavericks. Beaubois says, “He’s a beast. Physically, he’s amazing. He’s very strong. He’s a big baby, that’s for sure. I really think he’s going to be good for [the Wizards].” A big baby.
[Washington Post]

Ted Leonsis, an investor in Rosetta Stone, says he’s going to get the software for Seraphin to help him learn English. He also says that some of the French-speaking Capitals can help Kevin out too. Oh, and John Wall attended Saturday night’s Caps game and he will attend one on November 3rd too. Leonsis writes, “I think it is important for all of our young players to love playing in DC and to meet their counterparts on each team.”
[Ted’s Take]

Fox News had a feature on Ted Leonsis on Sunday, it’s pretty decent … and always interesting to see how Leonsis is trying to completely change the culture of the Wizards’ franchise into his own, which is also completely different from the culture of the franchise during the previous regime, one in which Leonsis describes as players not wanting to play in Washington, often asking to be traded.

When asked if there’s an “end to his patience” with Gilbert Arenas, Leonsis says, “I’ll know it when I get there, but right now he’s still in my good graces.”

“I won’t be able to die in peace unless I can win a championship,” says Leonsis … but doesn’t signify in which sport.

Check it out:

An opposing scout gives his take on several Wizards, saying he doesn’t think Arenas can play off the ball (also saying that Gilbert could “explode” if brought off the bench), that he likes the potential of McGee over Blatche, saying that McGee is “reliable and coachable” (most actually wish that he was more of those things), and that he “doesn’t believe” in Yi Jianlian, among other things. Here’s the scout’s quote regarding Flip Saunders:

“Flip has always been a point guard’s coach — he was a point guard himself and he has had point guards who did well. He has a diverse offensive playbook, and he puts the ball in the point guard’s hands and lets him be the quarterback. Even Stephon Marbury played well for Flip in Minnesota, and then there was Terrell Brandon and Chauncey Billups.

They compare Wall to Isiah Thomas, and Isiah flourished under Chuck Daly, who ran traditional sets and plays. I think Flip will encourage Wall to run, especially considering the athletic big men they have. With Marbury, Flip ran a lot of controlled break and transition offense, and that’s what I would expect here: quick-hitting, structured things that flow out of transition.”

Men’s Health has a feature on John Wall (only a matter of time until he’s in Vogue I guess — Yi Jianlian? Already done that). I thought this quote from the article was worthy of sharing:

“Wall sees himself as the little guy because he was the little guy. As a 5-foot-8 tenth grader in Raleigh, North Carolina, he’d scan lavish write-ups on Scout.com of hoops prodigies like Brandon Jennings and Tyreke Evans. The shrimpy Wall, who would later be cut from one of his high-school teams, never warranted such attention.”

Kyle founded TAI in 2007 and has been weaving in and out the world of Wizards ever since, ducking WittmanFaces, jumping over G-Wiz, and avoiding stints on the DNP-Conditioning list. He has covered the Washington pro basketball team as a member of the media since 2009. Kyle lives in D.C. with his wife, loves basketball, and has no pets.

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Truth About It.net, Washington Wizards Blog, ESPN TrueHoop Network -- Following the D.C. pro basketball franchise since the 90s and covering them in blog form since 2007 -- Opinion, Analysis, Irreverence, Pictures, Video, Interviews, Photoshops, News, Video, Quotes, Shares, and all the pixels about the Washington Wizards you can imagine.